£98k play area boost for Dunnington (From York Press)

£98k play area boost for Dunnington

8:56am Saturday 17th July 2010 in

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RESIDENTS of Dunnington will soon be celebrating the installation of new play equipment.

On Friday, July 23 – the day before the village fair – school children will cut the tape to open the new playground which has been built with £98,000 of Big Lottery money.

The new equipment includes a zip line, large rope swing, timber climbing area and “birds’ nest basket” climbing pole. There will also be a new tarmac path way and picnic table.

Peter Mulligan, chairman of the Dunnington Playing Fields Association, said a group of villagers from the playing fields association and the parish council started its bid to improve the playing facilities three years ago, when City of York Council was holding events to help local organisations bid for Big Lottery funding.

He said: “We looked at the area and it was looking a bit tired and outdated and there’s a lot of talk around the village that there was nothing for the youngsters to do.”

The group looked at successful play areas, including those at Castle Howard, to get a feel for what they wanted and chose more challenging play equipment to cater for older children.

Children from Dunnington Primary School have helped design the play area in a competition and the winners will unveil it at the opening ceremony. The children are now holding a competition to design a logo for the Friends of Dunnington Activity Park group, which will be responsible for sustaining the area over the next ten to 20 years.

Elvington-based play equipment manufacturer Playscheme won the tender to provide the new facilities and is rapidly finishing the installation for next week’s launch.

Peter said: “It’s looking really good. There’s a real wow factor.”

He said the launch at 5pm was timed to coincide with the family disco and barbecue which is taking place at the playing fields at 5.30pm before the village’s summer fair on Saturday, July 24.